Liverpool centre back Giovanni Leoni has undergone successful surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament injury.
For Leoni, earlier last month in the Carabao Cup third round tie v Southampton at Anfield was supposed to be the beginning of something special. A long-awaited debut, under the lights, in front of the Kop a chance to show Liverpool supporters why the club had invested £26 million to bring him over from Parma in August.
Instead, it ended in heartbreak. The 18-year-old centre-back lasted 81 minutes of the Carabao Cup third-round tie against Southampton before suffering a serious knee injury that will sideline him for up to a year.
Liverpool have since confirmed that Leoni has undergone successful surgery on a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The teenager has now taken to social media to express his gratitude for the outpouring of support, vowing to come back stronger.
“Surgery done. Thanks everyone for the messages. I’ll be back soon,” he wrote on Instagram.
Arne Slot handed Leoni his senior debut after being impressed by the defender’s maturity in training since his summer arrival. It was a calculated show of trust the Italian had been patient, biding his time, adapting to a new club, a new country and a higher level of football.
For much of the evening, it looked like a dream start. Composed in possession and alert defensively, Leoni slotted seamlessly into Liverpool’s back line. His ability to read the game and step forward confidently caught the eye, as did his physicality against a lively Southampton attack.
The reaction of his teammates told its own story. Medical staff rushed on, and after a lengthy delay, the teenager was stretchered off to a warm ovation from all four corners of Anfield. Slot admitted afterwards that the early signs were worrying.
Liverpool’s worst fears were confirmed later in the week. In his pre-Crystal Palace press conference, Slot delivered the update no young footballer ever wants to hear.
“He is not in a good place because he tore his ACL which means he will be out for a year,” the head coach said.
“Being so young, coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game, it’s very hard to take the positives.
“There is never really a positive side, but you try to look at that — and that is that he is still so young and he has so many years ahead of him after he recovers from a terrible injury.”
The Dutchman’s words were tinged with empathy. He knows this is a brutal blow for a teenager just at the start of his Liverpool journey, but he also knows the environment around the player will be crucial in the months ahead.
Leoni is not the first Liverpool player to face the long, lonely road of ACL recovery and he won’t be walking it alone.
“I think that definitely helps and we have examples with Virgil [van Dijk] and Joe [Gomez], and many more around the world,” Slot added.
“That’s why I said the positive thing is that he is still only 18. If you get an injury like that later in your career, when you are close to retirement, it makes it much more difficult. But in both situations, it’s far from ideal.
“The most important thing is the surgeons and then the people who guide him through recovery and rehab. But it’s always nice to do that surrounded by teammates who have lived through this as well — they can give you the right energy at certain moments.
“I think our players have already shown a lot of compassion in the last two days and that won’t stop over the next year.”
Van Dijk and Gomez both returned from lengthy knee injuries to reclaim key roles in Liverpool’s defence. Their experiences the surgeries, the setbacks, the long sessions at the AXA Training Centre provide tangible examples for Leoni to follow.
For now, the focus is on recovery. Leoni will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season, but Liverpool remain confident that this is only a setback, not a defining moment. At 18, time is firmly on his side.
Slot has already stressed that the club will stand by him throughout the process, and teammates have rallied around to make sure he feels supported. There will be difficult days ahead, but also opportunities to grow stronger both physically and mentally.
It is not the debut Leoni, or anyone at Liverpool, envisaged. But it does not change their belief in his talent or his future at Anfield.
